The exemplary embodiment relates to a system and method for managing document processing. It finds particular application in connection with a print path in which policy rules are used to implement a set of filters.
Workflow systems are widely used for processing submitted documents prior to printing. One example of a print path is the XPS print path developed by Microsoft and recently available on various platforms such as Windows Vista and Windows XP. In the XPS system, Extensible Markup Language (XML) is used for specifying the printing parameters. While it offers significant advantages in terms of document processing within the print process, it lacks several features both in terms of intuitive configuration tools, and in terms of actual workflow management.
In essence, the XPS print path system is a statically configured set of dynamic libraries called in the order stated in an XML configuration file. This system cannot easily be reconfigured dynamically. Additionally, the libraries are associated with a sequence of sequentially operated filters such that a document is sequentially processed by each of the libraries in turn before it is submitted for printing. The system does not provide for sophisticated filter execution, such as conditional execution, parallel processing of data, and other capabilities which would be of value in an advanced workflow system. Despite these relative weaknesses, the system has the advantage of being readily available on a widely distributed operating system.